


Gotham

by kmcgay



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2018-09-21 07:16:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9537545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kmcgay/pseuds/kmcgay
Summary: DC Universe AU.Waverly Earp has come home to Gotham only to be ousted from the less public side of the Earp Family Business. Waverly determines to be a hero to Gotham regardless of her sisters wishes and finds herself thrust into in a world of meta humans, criminals, and a couple of Kryptonians. To complicate matters, an attractive journalist starts getting a little too close to Waverly and by extension, the Earp's secrets.





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> So I wanted more Babs/Kara fics but I don't quite feel solid enough to write them yet so I wanted to test the waters with an AU set in the DC Universe and decided the Earps could really easily substitute for the Batfam. I'm semi-new to DC (only been reading for about a year) so I'm not pulling from a particular story line or even source material, so if you only have a vague familiarity with DC you should be fine (and for those of you hard core fans I'll try to drop some Easter eggs for you). 
> 
> Also, stylistically I know this is kind of dialogue-heavy. I'm used to reading/writing scripts so that just sort of carried over. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

                The sound of gravel crunching beneath her tires was something Waverly Earp hadn’t been aware she’d missed until she pulled into the elongated loop that served as the Earp Manor’s driveway. Stepping out of her car and into the dreary Gotham air she took a deep breath in as she let the nostalgia of her family home sink in. She hadn’t even realized how homesick she’d been before now. As a child, the Earp land had always seemed like Purgatory to Waverly. Grey and gloomy and seemingly stuck in time while the rest of Gotham hustled and bustled away. Now after being gone for four years all she could see were the places her and her sisters would play, where her mother had held impromptu picnics for them when the sun shone, and where her father would silently stand watch, distant and yet protective.

                Waverly was brought out of her trance by a gleeful figure coming from the door. Descending from the grand steps to the front porch was her Aunt Gus. Gus quickly pulled Waverly into one of the tightest hugs she had ever been in, second only to the one Gus had given her when she was dropped off at college.

                “Waverly,” she breathed out as if she had been holding the name in these last few years. “Welcome home.”  
  
                “Hi Gus,” Waverly replied, unable to help the mile-wide grin on her face. Phone calls and Skype had been cheap substitutes for Gus’s physical presence and to be held by the woman who had served as a parent for so many years was a feeling Waverly wouldn’t trade for the world.

                Finally, the two broke apart and started grabbing Waverly’s things out of the car. Making their way up the steps to the imposing manor, the two were greeted by Shorty. He gave a good-natured chuckle. “Never in all the years I’ve served this family has an Earp taken their own luggage into this house.”

                “I got it Shorty. No one was doing it for me when I was away, I can do it now.”

                “You’re getting too old to be doing the work of a whole a staff anyway,” added Gus.

                “I am the whole staff,” retorted Shorty. It had been years since the Earp Manor had significantly cut down its staff to just Shorty. It was decided the Earp’s need for secrecy outweighed the need for a smoothly running household. Shorty only stayed because after his years of service he was more a family friend than servant.

                “Where’s Wynonna?” Waverly asked, her older sister’s absence feeing even more apparent in the emptiness of the grand hallway.

                “I’m sure she’s skulking about somewhere. Lord knows we’re lucky to see her once every few days,” Gus replied, not masking the annoyance in her voice. Waverly made eye contact with Shorty over Gus’s shoulder. She raised her eyebrows ever so slightly so that Gus wouldn’t notice. Shorty gave her the smallest nod.

                “Well I’m sure I’ll find her somewhere around here. I’ll just go take these up to my room and go looking for her.”

                “Ha, good luck with that! If you do find her, try to find out if she’s actually planning on joining us for dinner tonight.”

                “Will do!” Waverly managed to get all her things up to the third floor on her own despite Shorty’s protests. When they were stashed away, she made her way down to her father’s study.

                The room was kept immaculately clean and yet looked like it hadn’t been touched since she was six. On the desk was a framed picture of her father and two older sisters. Waverly liked to imagine she hadn’t been born when the photo was taken, but she knew by Willa and Wynonna’s ages in the picture that wasn’t the case. In another photo her father was shaking the hand of Commissioner Holiday after a rather large donation from Earp Enterprises to Gotham City PD. There was even a photograph of him and her mother that he hadn’t gotten rid of, even after she walked out on the family. It was hard not to feel low realizing she was the only one he had not deemed important enough to keep a memento of in the room.

                Shaking the thought out of her head, she made her way to the old grandfather clock. The face was exposed allowing Waverly to adjust the hour and minute hands with her fingers. It was the one thing she knew Wynonna had changed in all these years. She set the time to 10:47 and pressed a small button hidden in the clock’s detailing.  One of the wall panels opened to reveal an elevator that was much more modern than the rest of the room. Waverly entered it and pressed the down button on the panel inside and it began its rapid descent at a speed that was just on the cusp of being terrifying.

                When the doors opened again, Waverly stepped out into a massive cave structure. Contrasting with the ancient stone walls was the all the high-tech enhancements her family had made over the generations. She followed the familiar pathway past the weapon testing facility and the garage filled with various types of vehicles that were well beyond military grade. Each echoed step was muffled by the constant humming of the machinery. Finally, she approached her destination, a network of super computers where a figure was sitting, their back towards Waverly.

                “Tell Gus I’m going to be busy tonight Shorty.”

                “Well okay, but she seemed like she’s about to go on a warpath if you skip dinner again.” The chair the figure was in spun around at the sound of Waverly’s voice, revealing her older sister Wynonna. Wynonna’s face sprouted a grin as she got up to embrace her little sister.

                “Hey baby girl! I didn’t realize you were coming home today.”

                “Well maybe if you would respond to my texts or answer my calls.”

                “Right, sorry about that. I’ve been busy lately with work.”

                “For the last four years?” Wynonna was silent, but the guilty look on her face caused Waverly to drop the subject. “Work-work or Bat-work?”

                “Take a look,” Wynonna answered turning back to the computers. “With Earp Enterprises buying out the top security system providers in Gotham I’m able to keep an eye on the majority of the city and we’re hidden behind enough legalities that anyone who goes digging around won’t be able to trace anything back to us. The gaps are being filled in by a direct and untraceable patch to GCPD’s scanners that may or may not have been provided by one Commissioner Holiday.”

                “Because that’s not an invasion of privacy.”

                “Things have been getting bad in Gotham, Waves. You’ve heard about the rumors of meta humans?”

                “What like Superman?” Wynonna groaned in disapproval. “What? Not a fan?”

                “We don’t get along.”

                “Wait you’ve met him?” Waverly asked excitedly, “What’s he like-“

                “This is entirely beside the point.”

                “Okay so what is the point?”

                “Meta humans have been popping up all over Gotham. Starting to make themselves known. And while most of the population still thinks they’re just myths or urban legends, I have a few new scars that say otherwise. The commissioner is in over his head dealing with them so…”

                “The Bat has to.”

                “Precisely.”

                “Wynonna-“

                “Don’t start, Shorty is already up my ass about it. I’ve been developing new weaponry that plays to the weaknesses of each one I come across. I’m more than enough of a match for them.”

                “All on your own?”

                “Waverly don’t.”

                “You can’t do this by yourself. You’re not _supposed_ to. The Bat needs a Robin, Daddy always said.”

                “We’ve been through this before you left, I’m not bringing you into this.”

                “Well what are you going to do? Start pulling orphans off the street and giving them weapons?”

                “I’m not pulling in _anyone_ who could get hurt dammit.”

                “I can do it Wynonna. I didn’t stop training when I went to school. I’m even better than I was before.”

                “I’m not letting you end up like Willa!”

                “Well I’m not letting you end up like Daddy!”

                The cave was silent, save the electrical whirring. Neither girl could look each other in the eye, their words reopening wounds neither had entirely recovered from.

                “Maybe you can take over Oracle for Shorty. He needs a break and you were always really good at it when you were a kid.” Wynonna finally said, breaking the silence. It was half an olive branch but an olive branch nonetheless.

                “Yeah, sure.” Waverly tried not to sound bitter about the compromise. She knew it was Wynonna’s way of letting her help, but she still longed to be a part of the real action. She could only do so much monitoring computer screens and hacking security systems for the Bat, which from Wynonna’s improvements didn’t seem like much of a necessary task these days. “Will you at least come to dinner tonight?”

                “Sure kid,” before Waverly could turn and leave, Wynonna pulled her into another hug. “I’m sorry Waverly, I just want to make Gotham safe for you. And I can’t knowingly put you in danger to make that happen.”

                “I know.”

* * *

 

                “We don’t have to wait for her,” Waverly offered, glancing down at her full plate of food and doing her best to ignore her grumbling stomach.

                “If she didn’t want us to wait for her, she should have been on time.”

                “I didn’t even tell her what time dinner was going to be, it’s not her fault she’s late,” Gus shot her a look. “Well even if it is, it just seems cruel to punish me.”

                Gus gave a chuckle, “The only way to get that girl to do anything is to make her think it’s going to affect you somehow.”

                “Again, just seems cruel to me.”

                “Who’s being cruel to you? Need me to beat ‘em up like old times?” Wynonna entered the dining room, trying to hide the fact she was out of breath from rushing in.

                “Not unless you want to take Gus in a fight.”

                “Ooh, hard pass on that one.”

                “How kind of you to join us Wynonna,” Gus interjected, staring Wynonna down. Wynonna deflated a bit and sheepishly took her seat across from Waverly.

                “Sorry about that, I got caught up in some work.”

                “I swear, if it wasn’t for Shorty and me you would have starved yourself because of your work by now. If you keep this up, Waverly’s going to have to take over the company.”

                “That would require Wynonna letting me actually participate in the family business.” Waverly said pointedly, punctuating her sentence with her first bite of food. Wynonna gave Waverly and incredulous look.

                “What’s this all about?” Gus asked.

                “I thought we had come to an arrangement, Waverly.”

                “Wynonna are you not going to give your own sister a job?”

                “I didn’t say that, I-“

                “It’s called Earp Enterprises, Wynonna, and last time I checked, Waverly was just as much of an Earp as you are.” Wynonna looked at Waverly for back up, but she merely gave Wynonna a shit-eating smirk from across the table.

                “What Waverly is _neglecting_ to mention, is that I offered her a… position. It wasn’t the one she wanted, but it’s all I can offer her in good conscience.”

                “Oh, sorry I didn’t realize the position I had asked for had been filled,” Waverly responded sarcastically.

                Wynonna groaned as she tried to figure out a way to word her response as to not clue Gus into the real conversation.  “Listen, if I had outright put you into the position you asked for it would make a lot of people unhappy. They might try to be corporate assholes about it and find a way to _take you out_. This _project management_ position is just as important in the long run, but it keeps you out of trouble if things go south.”

                “Jesus Wynonna, you always make it sound as though the company is on the brink of a hostile takeover,” Gus chided.

                “Daddy always said, ‘There’s no Gotham without the Earps,’ I’m just making sure we don’t have to find out if that’s true or not.”

                Waverly huffed, but conceded. There was no point in arguing with Wynonna once she had made up her mind and trying to bring in Gus as a mediator was pointless if she couldn’t tell Gus the real issue being fought over. The rest of dinner was filled with small talk of varying degrees of awkwardness. Gus was the first to excuse herself.

                Upon their aunt’s exit, Waverly felt a swift kick connect to her shin, causing a yelp of pain. “Hey! What are you, twelve?” She hissed across the table.

                “I could as you the same question Ms. Tattle Tale! What the hell were you trying to pull? Do you want Gus find out about everything?”

                “I don’t see why she can’t know! She lives here, it’s a miracle she hasn’t stumbled into the Batcave already!”

                “Because the less people who know about the Bat the less chance we have of getting found out and the fewer people can get hurt!”

                “God Wynonna, you can’t keep everyone out of danger one-hundred percent of the time! We live in Gotham for Christ’s sake!”

                “And that is precisely why I have to keep as many people out of Bat-business as possible!”

                “You are impossible!”

                “If it means you’re safe, I can live with that.”

                Waverly stood up suddenly and snatched her empty plate off the table before starting to storm off into the kitchen. She heard Wynonna’s chair scraping against the floor as the older one got up to follow her, but she didn’t slow down or even acknowledge the footsteps now chasing after her.

                “Waverly, please just listen.”

                “What else is there to listen to? You aren’t going to change your mind so what’s the point in arguing about it.”

                “It’s not that I don’t want your help Waves, okay? I want you involved-“

                “Yeah I know, you just don’t trust me to take care of myself.”

                “No. I mean, I know you can now. It’s just that if you’re in the field with me I’m not going to be focused on what’s going on, I’m going to be focused on whether or not you’re safe.”

                “That sounds an awful lot like not trusting me to take care of myself.”

                “You know what, if you want to take it like that fine! I don’t care. You can’t argue that you’re not better with computers than anyone in this family. Tactically it makes more sense to put you in Oracle.”

                “So what, Shorty’s just gonna start dressing in tights and Kevlar and parkouring off the side of buildings with you in the middle of the night?”

                “Shorty is going to get an overdue break from all of this.”

                Waverly stopped in her tracks and took a moment, Wynonna nearly running into her. “Fine,” she replied shortly.

                “Fine?”

                “Fine.”

                “Are you sure about this?”

                “Yeah, Wynonna. I’m done arguing.”

                Wynonna put a hand on Waverly’s shoulder before pulling her into a hug. “Everything I do, I do for you.”

                “I know.”

                “I’ll see you in the cave?”

                “Yeah. I’ll come down soon.”

* * *

 

                Waverly sat bored in front of the Batcave’s computer network. Occasionally she would catch flashes of a dark shadow across a security camera she had patched into. She heard the brief static of the commlink coming to life, snapping her to attention.

                “Any movement Oracle?”

                “Just you so far. Wave at the next camera you pass, it’ll be funny.”

                “Oracle,” The Bat chastised.

                “All I’m saying is that the security guards at the docks would get a kick out of it.”

                “We need to stay focused.”

                “Well you didn’t give me much to go off of before you left besides some big guy with mob ties.”

                “Ha. Well, that’s a gross understatement on my part and I apologize. Pull his file. Keyword: Croc.”

                “Doing so now.” Waverly opened the file, now taking up the main screen while surveillance footage played on the smaller, surrounding screens. Grainy images of an abnormally large man with grotesque, alligator like features splayed out. “So, Croc wasn’t just a nick name.”

                “I mean, considering he goes by _Killer_ Croc…”

                “Of course he does.” Waverly scrolled through the information Wynonna and Shorty had compiled on Killer Croc. They hadn’t found much on his background, nor how he came to look like he did. They had, however, came up with an exhaustive list of his abilities. “Let’s see here: Super strength and durability, enhanced speed and agility, can hold his breath for an extended period of time-  and how did you measure that one out?”

                “By nearly getting drowned.”

                “Fun. Razor sharp claws and teeth, ultra-hardened skin, and a regenerative healing factor. And you willing go in and fight this guy? Alone?”

                 “Someone’s got to do it and GCPD is way in over their head with this guy.”

                “So of course, one woman in a bat costume is the right choice for the job. I feel like Superman is better suited for this.”

                “Don’t you dare say that name over this channel ever again.”

                “Okay Bat, but you’ve got to tell me what your beef with him is when you get back.”

                “Keep focused on the mission Oracle.”

                “You know, if I were doing highly illegal activities at the docks I’d do them in broad day light. Like I don’t know what regular dock activity is supposed to look like. I just assume if you’re there during normal business hours you’re there doing normal business things. The only reason they look suspicious is because they’re doing stuff at night and with guns. And when you think about it, the guns are only there because they’re afraid someone is going to catch them doing highly illegal activities. I mean, overall, criminals would seem at least seventy-five-percent less shady if they did stuff during the day. Shady in their hearts, not in amount of light. That should be the motto.”

                “Oracle!”

                “You’re just upset because it would ruin the whole ‘I am the night’ thing that every bat has banked on since forever. Let’s be real, you’d look significantly less intimidating during the day.”

                “Okay new rule, you keep the channel clear unless you see anything.”

                “Fine, killjoy.”

                “Mmm!”

                Waverly pouted in response, despite the fact she knew Wynonna couldn’t see her. The next hour and a half was spent watching Wynonna flit by security cameras as she cleared the various warehouses and hidden alleyways on the docks. The stakeout was proving to be a long and boring process. At least Wynonna got to do the fun part, making use of her acrobatic skills to stalk the shadows of the docks. Waverly was just earning a cramp in her lower back and a strain in her eyes. Unable to bare it any longer, she turned away from the bright computer screens, shutting her eyes tight as she rubbed them over the lids.

                “Long night?” a familiar voice asked, causing Waverly to jump nearly out of her seat entirely. Gus stood mere feet from her, hand on her hip and with an eyebrow cocked as if it were the most casual setting in the world.

                “Oh my God. Gus,” Waverly started, trying to find a way to explain everything to her aunt, which unfortunately ended with a lot of rambling. “This is absolutely incredible, huh? Like, who knew we had some sort of access point to… all of this in the manor? Not me that’s for sure, I just now stumbled upon all this. Oh, and definitely not Wynonna. Not that I would know if Wynonna had secret knowledge of some sort of secret… tunnel. One that I would most certainly not associate with some particular sort of animal.”

                “Go ahead and give it a rest Waverly. You’re good at many things, but lying ain’t one of them. ‘Sides I already know everything.”

                “Y-You do?” Waverly asked, jaw gaping like a fish in her stunned state.

                “I’ve lived in this house since right after your mama left. Do you honestly think your daddy didn’t tell me everything?”

                “Well he never mentioned it. Not that he would, to me that is. And then you never mentioned it…”

                “I knew Wynonna was going to end up taking the whole ‘family secret’ thing to the extreme. Your daddy and Willa… Well, it affected her more than anyone I think. She means well trying to protect you, and everyone else for that matter, but she’s scared she’s gonna make a mistake and lose everything.”

                “I know that. But Gus, she’s going around picking fight with mutant crocodile men without any back up. She’s going to get herself killed one of these days. She needs all the help she can get, and if the worst possible scenario comes then Gotham needs someone who’s ready and trained to become the Bat.”

                Gus sighed, crossing her arms and looking away from Waverly as if to take a moment to choose her words. Waverly nervously waited for her aunt to speak. “You’re right, but the way I see it you were never meant to be Robin.” Waverly didn’t know which sank faster, her expression or her heart. She had truly though Gus of all people would have been the one to agree with her. “But Wynonna was never meant to be the Bat.” Gus motioned for Waverly to follow her and started towards the armory. Waverly took a moment, unsure if she should leave Wynonna in the dark. Deciding disobeying Gus was a worse offense, she scrambled out of the chair to follow.

                Waverly caught up to Gus, walking past the displays of weaponry and armor. Waverly took a brief pause when they walked by Willa and Ward’s old suits, kept in their final tattered condition in display cases, but tore herself away when she realized Gus had kept a steady pace. Without looking back at Waverly, Gus spoke again. “Your daddy didn’t tell you all of the history involving the Bat when you girls were growing up. Well, maybe he told Willa, but we can’t say for certain. There have been times when the Bat was too thinly stretched and needed more help than a Robin could provide. Other times the Earp family was just too goddamn big and the ones that weren’t the Bat and Robin needed something to do to keep them out of trouble. Titles still got passed on from Bat to Robin, and usually when the torch was passed the others would just hang up their capes so to speak. Now I think you and I can agree Wynonna falls into the former category.”

                “Well considering there are only two Earps…” Gus stopped at a vault with an electronic lock and started punching in a pin. Waverly watched as her aunt’s fingers type in 1-9-6-7. “Oh, no, Wynonna’s passcode is 1047.” The door swished open revealing a room of the Batcave Waverly had never seen before. Gus chuckled when she caught a glimpse of Waverly’s stunned expression.

                “I know, but it ain’t mine.” She entered the room and Waverly followed after her. “It wasn’t too terribly long ago that I got involved with the latter category. When your daddy was just starting out, your Uncle Curtis and I helped out. When your mother left, we stopped and focused on helping raise you and Wynonna.”

                “And when Daddy and Willa died?”

                “I got out. Decided you and Wynonna were more important than all of Gotham. Curtis tried to be the Bat for a while, but he wasn’t cut out for it. Not alone anyway.”

                “Why didn’t he train Wynonna? If she had been Robin maybe she would have been more prepared when she took over. Maybe Uncle Curtis could have done it longer and Gotham wouldn’t have gone so long without the Bat.”

                “Waverly, Wynonna wasn’t ready. One night as Robin and she watched her sister and her father die. She was traumatized. She needed therapy, not to stay up all night beating up criminals only to go to school the next day and act out even more than she already was. You can disagree with me all you want, but if I’ve only done one thing right by you girls it was keeping you out of this life for as long as I did,” Gus motioned for Waverly to follow her farther into the room. “But you’re both adults now, I’ve made sure you got every opportunity to get as far out of the Bat’s shadow as possible. If this is what you really want I won’t object.”

Gus stopped in front of an armor stand. It donned a deep purple leather jacket with a yellow bat insignia across the front, as well as a matching cowl and pair of leggings. Attached to the jacket by pairs of snap buttons on each shoulder was a black cape with yellow lining. A yellow utility belt was strung around the waist with enough pouches and pockets to put Wynonna’s belt to shame. Waverly tentatively reached out to feel the hem of the jacket sleeve. “This was my old suit,” Gus started, “it’s not a bullet resistant as Wynonna’s or your daddy’s was, but it’ll give you a decent amount of protection. And I suppose there’s nothing stopping you from making modifications to it.”

“You’re giving me your suit?” Waverly asked, stunned and still unable to tear her eyes away from the clothing in question.

                “You think I brought you down her to give you a history lesson and brag about my glory days? Like I said before, you weren’t meant to be a Robin, so go be a Bat.”

                “Wynonna won’t like this.”

                “I don’t see why she has to know.”

                “I’m supposed to be on Oracle duty, she’s going to know something’s up if I’m not giving her updates, or if she calls and needs a response.”

                “Don’t worry about it, Sweetheart. You honestly think Shorty has been up late every night running this thing. I have my ways of making sure Wynonna doesn’t know who’s really behind the computer screen.”

                Waverly took a moment, looking between the suit and Gus. Could she really go behind Wynonna’s back this way? Sure, she had wanted to help carry on the family legacy, make Gotham a safer place, the whole shebang- the thrill of it all was an added bonus, of course- but she had wanted to do it with Wynonna’s approval. She wanted to have her sister’s back and know her sister had hers as well. And if she ever found out? Wynonna’s trust was fragile enough already. Waverly lying to her could shatter it altogether. But Wynonna was busy fighting super-powered master criminals these days. Who was defending the average Gotham citizen from the crime that really affected them? It was either follow Wynonna’s orders or let Gotham descend into the pit of corruption the world thought it was. When she thought of it like that, there was no choice.

                “I really hope I’m the same size as you used to be.”

 

               

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry no Nicole this chapter. I wish I could say it was because I'm keeping to Wynonna Earp fashion and intentionally not introducing her until the second installment, but truth be told I just thought the chapter was getting long. Comments/feedback is appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

            For the first time since she was fourteen, Waverly Earp flew. Her long flowing hair and even longer cape trailed in the air as she leapt from building to building. Caution was thrown to the wind behind her. Criminals be damned, she needed a moment to revel in this feeling.

            She had been worried that her extended sabbatical from the cape and cowl lifestyle had left her building jumping skills a bit rusty, but if anything, it was just like riding a bike. Granted, this bike was significantly easier to ride now that her legs were long enough to reach the pedals. Once she had grappled her way on the rooftops muscle memory kicked in after all these years and the rhythm that might as well be part of the Earps’ DNA took control. A few running strides, followed by a quick push with all the force her legs could muster, and then that brief, glorious moment of freedom. Freedom from gravity, freedom from restrictions, freedom from the weight of her last name. Then followed her feet planting on the next rooftop, reminding her that restrictions still applied, even if they could temporarily give way. Reminding her that at the end of the day she was still an Earp- and Waverly wouldn’t have it any other way.

            Super strength and heat vision could go to hell. If Waverly Earp could only choose one of Superman’s powers it’d be flight, hands down. Nothing in the world could beat the high Waverly felt right then. She could only imagine what it must feel like knowing you never had to come down. He probably took it for granted. She snickered, imagining Wynonna’s contempt for the man boiling down to him taking every superhuman ability he had for granted. She’d torment Wynonna with that thought later.

            Waverly finally came to a stop at the end of the block, looking out over the city. She had chosen Burnside to be her patrol location for the time being. A tiny burro just on the outskirts of Gotham, it was the perfect distance from Earp Manor and the docks Wynonna was currently working to keep her and the Bat at a safe distance. She was probably closer to Metropolis than to Wynonna right now. Being so far away also supplied the added bonus of giving her just enough distance from the heart of the city that she could see Gotham in all its glory from across the river. It stood proud and defiant into the sky, looming over her and the surrounding areas. To an out-of-towner it was the most crime-ridden scourge to ever exist on this Earth, but to a born-and-bred-Gothamite like Waverly, it was the most beautiful city to ever be built.

            She let herself have a moment to behold the home she had been gone from for so long before tearing herself away from the sight to get down to the reason she was out there in the first place. Didn’t matter which side of the Gotham River you were on, Gotham was still Gotham. All Waverly really had to do was circle any given block a few times and she’d no doubt run into someone up to no good. Opting for the more thorough method, Waverly began her patrol of Burnside.

            The benefit of patrolling outside of the main city was the nightlife of Burnside stayed tucked away into its own sector of the burro. Waverly could more or less skim over the area, only being on the lookout for obvious violence. No need to beat some college kid’s face in for having a fake ID to get into a twenty-one and up club. A quick sweep to make sure there wasn’t anything going down that a club bouncer couldn’t handle was all it took. Making her way over to the residential districts, the lack of noise and night owls made it much easier to tell when something wasn’t on the up and up. Like the sound of glass shattering.

            Waverly came to a halt at the edge the building she was on, overlooking an alleyway. “Adding to my list of things that always make you look suspicious: alleys. Nothing good ever goes down in an alley,” Waverly said to herself as she peered down below her. In the darkness, she could make out two people dressed in black and wearing ski masks. One carried a baseball bat which she assumed had been used to break the small window on the side of the building across from her. The other seemed to be unarmed fortunately.  Waverly had to take a breath to settle the excitement coursing through her like electricity. She hooked her grappling hook on a fire escape toward the entrance to the alley and was pleased with herself when it didn’t land loudly enough for the duo in the alley to notice. Another calming inhale and on the exhale she swung herself down into the alley, letting go of the rope with enough time to gracefully glide to the ground. Waverly Earp was now the only thing standing between the criminals and their getaway.

            “Let me guess,” Waverly called down towards the back of the alleyway, drawing the attention of her new friends, “You were headed out to the mountains for a ski trip and in all your excitement locked your keys inside your place and all the reputable locksmiths are closed this time of night so you had to break your own window to get them. No? Hm, how about this one then: you’re both in a lot of trouble now.”

            “Shit! Dude, what the hell! I thought that stupid Bat-tracker app said she’s on the other side of Gotham,” the unarmed man said to his partner. The fellow with the baseball bat started fumbling around trying to get his phone out.

            “It did! I swear!”

            “Boys, maybe instead of double checking an app that clearly didn’t do its job, you focus on more pressing matters. Namely, me.” With that she was off. Naturally, Waverly went for the one with the baseball bat first. His attempts at retrieving his phone had left him vulnerable and he was practically disarmed already. He didn’t even manage to prepare to swing before Waverly grabbed his forearm and gave a quick jab to his elbow with her palm. He screamed in pain as Waverly hyperextended his arm and the baseball bat clattered to the ground as the other began to lunge for Waverly.

It was sheer dumb luck, but if anyone were to ask Waverly would have sworn she planned it. The second burglar’s lunge took him right into the bat’s path as it dropped. Once it hit the floor, the guy’s foot hit the bat causing him to fall forward. Waverly acted quickly and used her grip on the first burglar’s arm to pull him towards and in front of her before giving him a nice push into the other. They collided, stumbling back into the bat which caused them to fall to the ground hard.

            Waverly stood proudly over them, a pleased smirk painted across her face. Before her next witty remark could leave her mouth, she noticed the second burglar getting up onto his knees and reaching for his waistband. Waverly instinctively jumped back as the burglar slashed a knife at her.

Okay, so it had been a rookie mistake to assume the guy was unarmed, but Waverly wasn’t going to let that ruin her flow. Now that there was some distance between the two of them, the burglar made his way up to his feet. He brandished his knife and the two circled each other for a moment trying to find an opening on one another. The scene grew tenser and tenser by the second. Waverly wasn’t sure how long she could play the waiting game before she caved and made a reckless move.

            The burglar seemed to be having a similar thought process, as he suddenly pounced at Waverly. His knife aimed for her left side but she managed to step out of the way before the blade so much as grazed her. Her suit had a little armored padding built into it, but she didn’t want to test just how well it would hold up in a knife fight right in that moment.

Each swipe he took was carefully dodged as Waverly waited for an opening. She made a couple attempts to disarm him, but he seemed more adept at fighting than his companion had been. She managed to land a punch to his ribs, but the force wasn’t enough to stagger him entirely and she was almost met with his knife to her gut. She chastised herself mentally for letting her need to end this quickly make her sloppy.

            Suddenly the burglar made a thrust which Waverly countered into a grapple. Their calculated and precise dance had now devolved into a school yard scrap. They wrestled for control, each trying to steer the knife one way or the other. Waverly needed to find a way to end this fast. Her strengths had never focused on sheer power, but rather her dexterity and speed. If she wasn’t lucky- which it truthfully felt like that was the case tonight- her opponent could out muscle her in any second.

Almost as if to confirm her suspicions about her luck, she could hear what could only be described as an attempt at a battle cry. From her peripheral vision she saw the second criminal in mid-swing, the baseball bat once again in his hands. In her attempts to avoid being stabbed, she’d forgotten all about the bat and the threat it still posed. _Note to self,_ she thought, _next time save the quips until after the bad guys are restrained._ She braced for the impact of the swing, hoping to point the knife away from her incase the force sent her into the blade, but the hit never came.

            “Jeez Batsy, don’t tell me a couple of small fries like these are giving you a run for your money now. You’re losing your edge,” a voice said mischievously. All three involved with the scuffle were momentarily stunned, in awe of the woman who had suddenly appeared and stopped the bat cold by merely placing a hand on the end of it.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contrary to popular belief, I did not abandon this fic. Life got in the way as it does and I had this chapter finished but the end was clunky. I realized that this was a better "comic book" style ending, so I decided to cut it here and make the rest the beginning of Chapter 3. Then I was like "well let me get Chapter 3 done first since it's been so damn long," which actually hasn't happened yet but also I've got a good chunk of it written so you won't be waiting too terribly long. 
> 
> Also the good thing about me waiting until after season 2 was done is now I have a bunch of ideas for newer characters (mostly Rosita tbh) that help fill in gaps I had no idea how I was gonna fill so hey, silver linings.
> 
> Thanks for your patience y'all!
> 
> Also bat is a terrible word and I hate it.


	3. Chapter 3

_“Jeez Batsy, don’t tell me a couple of small fries like these are giving you a run for your money now. You’re losing your edge.”_

                Fortunately, Waverly was the first to regain her sense, taking her advantage of her opponent’s stupor to quickly disarm him and throw him to the ground. He landed with a hard thud and a groan of pain. The woman who had stopped the other attacker followed suit, pulling the bat away from him as easily as one plucked a flower from the ground before giving him a shove so he joined his friend on the ground. Waverly, having learned from her previous mistake, immediately began the process of restraining the duo with a bit of spare cable she had on her.

                “I just feel the need to clarify I totally had the situation under control, though the help is not unappreciated,” Waverly noted, a wave of embarrassment washing over her. A blush flooded into her cheeks and she had never been more thankful for the cowl than in that moment.

                “Oh, you’re not her,” the stranger said, offering a hand to Waverly and helping her up. Waverly finally got a good look at her. Tall and powerful with a blue shirt and red skirt with a cape to match, the “S” plastered on her chest left no question to who she was affiliated with. She had a warm smile and even warmer eyes that damn near paralyzed Waverly for a moment. “Are you okay…,” she started, fishing for a name.

                “Oh, no. No! I mean, I’m fine, I just mean you’re right. I’m not _The_ Bat, I’m just _a_ Bat, a uh… Bat… Girl…,” Waverly could taste the heel of her boot, her foot was so far in her mouth at this point. The only silver lining was she couldn’t see how could possibly make herself even more of an embarrassment to the Earp legacy that night. The stranger smiled teasingly and Waverly felt her stomach sink.

                “Batgirl, huh?”

                “Um, it’s a working title,” Waverly explained, trying to save face.

                “No, no. I like it. Not any worse than Supergirl,” the woman assured. “That’s me by the way if you couldn’t tell,” she added with a wink that made Waverly blush for another reason entirely.

                “Uh thanks again for the assist by the way.”

                “Oh no problem. I uh take it you’re not with Batsy then?”

                “Ha Batsy. She probably hates that one, huh?” Waverly quickly added with a chuckle.

                “Drives her nuts.”

                “It’s complicated. We’re uh sort of affiliated.”

                “Sort of?” Supergirl asked with a raised eyebrow and a look of disbelief.

                “I know how it sounds, but I’m not some kid who just put on a mask and started beating people up on the street without training.”

                “Right, it only looks like that.”           

                “Hey! I could have definitely handled them on my own! I’m just a little rusty at the moment. I’ve been away from Gotham for a while and I just got back into the whole Bat business thing. I’ll have you know I have been properly trained to handle a variety of criminal situations.” Waverly groaned internally to herself for her word vomit. Wynonna would kill her if she heard how much information about herself she was giving away. _Why don’t you just tell her your name and invite her over for tea at the manor while you’re at it Waverly!_

                “So you’ve had training but you’re only ‘sort of’ affiliated with Batsy. Mind explaining how that one works?”

                “Well it sounds like you’ve met her for more than five minutes. That’s all you need in order to know how,” Waverly made a frustrated gesture, putting every word she couldn’t find to describe Wynonna into one emphatic arm movement, “she can be.”

                Supergirl made a face conceding to Waverly’s point, “She does have that whole ‘I work alone’ shtick going on.”

                “Exactly! And I should also point out that no Bat in the whole history of Gotham has ever worked alone and she just has a massive stick up her butt!”

                “So, I’m sensing a little hostility here.”

                “Sorry she just- grr- ya know?”

                “Yeah, I think I do,” she replied looking off a bit.

                “And how do you even know her anyway?”

                “What?” Supergirl asked, her attention snapping back.

                “I mean you usually hang around National City, right? Not to mention she can’t stand your, uh, counterpart.”

                “We’re cousins. I know we don’t look it, but our family was big and… well to be honest, it makes more sense on Krypton.”

                “Right. Well, she can’t stand your cousin so why do you know her well enough to call her Batsy?”

                “Well, for your fist question: I do live in National City but sometimes I come into Metropolis to help Superman with some things. Which leads to question two: A few months back he asked me to keep an eye out on some vigilante he didn’t trust in Gotham and lo and behold, it was Batsy.”

                “Do you know what their deal is?”

                “Nope. So, while I take it he meant for me to stop the vigilante-ing I didn’t really see the problem and more or less just hung around her for a night.”

                “Yeah she definitely hated that.”

                “Yup. But she must have found me at least marginally more tolerable than Superman seeing she only tried to shake me like four times.”

                “Oh, that’s not bad at all. Only around mild annoyance level.”

                “Wow, didn’t realized I scored so well.”

                They both chuckled a bit at that, which led to an awkward silence between the two. Waverly shuffled a bit before her attention turned back to the two unconscious, would-be burglars on the ground. “I should probably make these two a little more visible so they can get picked up,” she noted.

                “Oh here, let me help you,” Supergirl replied. Before Waverly could even think of objecting, the other hero had grabbed onto the cords restraining them and began to carry them to the edge of the ally one-handed. Waverly did her best not to ogle the other girl but was having difficulty doing so. If anyone asked, it was entirely because she had never seen a feat of Kryptonian strength in person and not because Waverly thought it made Supergirl all the more attractive. Which she most definitely didn’t find her in the first place anyway. Once the heap of criminal was placed neatly at the end up the street, Waverly set a batarang she had taken from the armory on the lap of one of them as a calling card.

                “So, did your cousin send you out to Burnside just to be on Bat Patrol?”

                “About that…”

                “What?”

                “You haven’t seen a metahuman with lightning powers and blue hair running around have you.”

                “Excuse me?”

                “I, uh, may have accidentally lost a prisoner Superman asked me to help escort to Arkham.”

                “I’m sorry, you did what?”

                “It wasn’t my fault per se- “

                Waverly was suddenly incensed. “You’re giving me grief for looking untrained and you’re losing metahumans in _my_ city!”

                “Hey! I think evil metahuman outclasses two loser burglars,” said Supergirl, her tone defensive in response to Waverly’s accusation.

                “And? You’re a Kryptonian aren’t you? Aren’t you supposed to be all powerful or something?”

                “What? No! Look, her transport van must of passed over something electrical and when it did it gave her enough juice to jumpstart her powers and blow up the van. I went to check on the driver and she got a lucky shot on me. It didn’t do much but in the couple of seconds it took me to recover she was gone.”

                Waverly remained silent for a moment, looking over Supergirl. Regardless of whether or not she found the other hero attractive- _which she most certainly did not-_ she wasn’t going to let go of the initial doubt she had placed in Waverly that easily. “Well. Perhaps Superman misplaced his trust in you.”

                “That’s exactly my point! Superman doesn’t trust me! Not really, anyway. It’s always ‘Supergirl babysit some vigilante,’ ‘Supergirl, help clean up the aftermath from me saving the world,’ ‘No Supergirl, this is too dangerous for you. Go get a cat out of tree in National City.’ He treats me like a kid- and I’m older than him, technically! If he finds out about this before I’ve taken care of it he’ll never trust me to do anything. So, are you going to help me or what?”

                “Wait. Me? Help you? But I thought- “

                “You wanna prove yourself to Batsy? I think cleaning up a Super’s mess will give you a leg up in that regard.”

                Waverly grinned and extended her hand out. “Can’t have a rogue metahuman running around Gotham now, can we?” Supergirl smiled at Waverly’s gesture, reaching out to clasp her forearm in with her own hand.

                “Not on our watch.”

 

* * *

 

               

                “This is where you saw her last?” Waverly asked examining one of the bridges into Gotham City limits from a nearby building. Emergency vehicles were still on the scene. The lights flashing made it difficult to make out all of what was going on down below, even with the pair of binoculars Waverly had the good sense to stash in her utility belt before she left the Batcave.

                “Didn’t really get a look at her here but yeah. They moved the van off the road, it was around where that marker they put up is.”

                It took Waverly a moment to find the marker Supergirl was referring to. The road was charred and a grate was blasted open. “Was that like that when you were coming in?”

                “No. Figured it was a result of her breaking out of the van.”

                “They run electical lines underground through most of the city. If that’s a service grate it may have allowed her to siphon enough power off to escape.”

                “But where did she go after that?”

                “Underground?”

                “I scanned the immediate area with x-ray vision. Nothing.” Waverly gave a frustrated little hum, observing the grate in as much detail as she could at this distance. “She wouldn’t have gone back into Metropolis. That would have made it too easy for Superman to catch her again. I just can’t figure out where she would be motivated to go in Gotham.” Suddenly Waverly caught a glimpse of a spark from the grate.

                “There! Can you make out any sparking there? Like an exposed wire?”

                Supergirl immediately snapped out of thinking out loud and focused a bit more intently on the scene of the crime. “Yup, looks like one of the wires was snapped in two.”

                “They run multiple lines under there. If it was damaged from the initial blast why would only one of them be broken like that?”

                “Charging up? Her powers work a bit like a battery from what I’ve been told. The only reason we could safely transport her was because she was basically drained.”

                “But wouldn’t she use multiple lines? More power, more charge, right?”

                “In theory.”

                “There’s something we’re missing here. We have to think bigger,” Waverly mused. They were dealing with a metahuman. The laws of physics could bend and even break for their fugitive. Everything had to be considered possible until proven otherwise. “What if she can travel through the wire? Like super speed or a limited teleportation.”

                Supergirl looked a little skeptical. “I don’t know. Superman didn’t mention anything about that when he gave me the job.”

                “Maybe he didn’t know. Or it could have slipped his mind. I mean, assuming she needs an exposed entry point in order to access that ability, it might not have seemed like necessary information.”

                “Even then scientifically speaking-“

                “You are literally breaking the laws of gravity as we speak,” Waverly cut off. Supergirl had opted to floating off the side of the building Waverly had perched herself on during their reconnaissance.

Supergirl edged herself onto the building, conceding Waverly’s point. “Okay, fair.”

                “It’s a long shot, but it’s the only lead we’ve got. Even if I’m wrong, following the line into the city is going to do us a lot more good than standing around here all night.”

                Supergirl thought it over a moment. Finding no logical reason she could protest, she gave a shrug of her shoulders. “You’re right.”

                “Can you follow the broken line with your x-ray vision?”

                Supergirl once again focused her attention onto the wires bellow. “Yeah I think I’ve got it isolated. I’ll give directions.”

                “Let’s go then.”

 

* * *

 

                The duo navigated their way through Gotham with ease. Waverly’s familiarity with the city blocks allowed her to shift course the moment Supergirl called for a change in direction. Supergirl’s flight gave her the advantage of complete freedom of motion, regardless of any obstacles Waverly would otherwise have to maneuver around.

                “Left at the next intersection,” The Kyrptonian GPS ordered. Waverly swiftly brandished her grappling hook and launched in across the narrow street to the next block over. Once she heard the familiar click of the hook locking into place she propelled over to the next roof top, Supergirl at her side. “We’re going to be heading into an alley way up ahead- dammit!” Supergirl suddenly cursed. As they approached the alley, it didn’t take supervision for Waverly to see what was wrong.

                A busted fuse box sparked on the side of the building, not unlike the grate on the bridge. Other than the obvious, there was no other signs of the metahuman. “Hey, no this is a good thing,” Waverly assured, “For one we know we’re right about the wire transportation.”

                “But we don’t know how fast she travels. It could be instantaneous for all we know, which means she left this area a while ago.”

                “Right. But I doubt she’d stray far from an open source of electricity for power and transportation.”

                Supergirl did a quick scan of the area. She let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head. “A lot of lead in these buildings. Makes them nearly impossible to see through. I can see down, but my field of vision around us is going to be spotty at best.”

                “See Gotham isn’t so bad. Brings out the human in you.”

                Supergirl chuckled at that, a bit of the stress from the evening melting for a moment. “So where to now? You got us this far.”

                Waverly took a look around of her own. “South’s no good. She’d run straight into GCPD and even if she did barrel through there, the only thing of any note farther south is Blackgate Prison. Robison Park is north, and Grant Park is east. Outside of some street lights and smaller generators there won’t be a lot of access to electricity.”

                “Well what’s west then? If she ended up doubling back it would have to be for something good, right?”

                “Right,” Waverly agreed, turning her attention west ward. Across the skyline, one building in particular leered over the others. Waverly smacked her forehead and groaned. “Oh, I’m such an idiot.”

                “Hey you’re the one that figured out-“

                “If you were powered by electricity and probably didn’t have access to any money wouldn’t it make sense to go to the headquarters of one of the richest technology corporations in the world?”

                “I mean yeah, but she’s not a local like you. How would she know where to find something like that?”

                “Well it being the tallest building in the city makes it a lot easier to assume where it is,” Supergirl turned to where Waverly was looking. “I present Earp Tower, the tallest building in Gotham and headquarters of one of the richest technology corporations in the world.”

                “We can’t let her get in there.”

                “Trust me, I’m very aware of that,” Waverly remarked, thinking of the hell Wynonna would raise if she caught them. A break-in at Earp Tower would be cause enough to pull her away from a dead-end stakeout at the docks. The last thing she needed tonight was a confrontation with the Gotham Bat. “The sooner we get there the better, let’s go.”

                “It’ll be faster if we both fly,” Supergirl quickly added before Waverly could take off. “Piggy back style. I could get us there in seconds.”

                Waverly hesitated a moment. Supergirl was right of course, but something about her made Waverly uneasy. Shaking it off she gave the other woman a nod. Wrapping her arms around Supergirl’s shoulders, she tried to ignore the warm scent of the Kryptonian’s hair. _Focus Waverly, unless you want the wrath of Wynonna brought down on you,_ she scolded herself. “Ready.”

                “Hang on tight,” was the only warning Waverly received before she and Supergirl took off at a break neck speed towards Earp Tower. Waverly didn’t even get a chance to enjoy the fact she was actually flying before the two of them touched down on the ground in front of the building.

                “’Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound’ is kind of an understatement, huh?” Waverly commented, removing herself from Supergirl. The other woman smirked proudly.

                “That’s Superman’s thing. I’m more of ‘multiple city blocks’ kind of gal.”

                “Show off,” Waverly giggled. They fell into another moment of stillness, just like when they had first met. This one was interrupted not by Waverly’s feelings of awkwardness, but the slightly less jarring noises of an explosion followed by a woman cackling.

                Just down the road a woman with short, bright blue hair and pale electric blue skin was being showered in money by a sparking ATM. Supergirl’s expression immediately hardened and her shoulders tensed. Without another word, she marched past Waverly with a confident fury to her strides. As she made her way towards the metahuman she called out “Hey!” The blue woman was pulled away from her revelries and had a look of confusion on her face for the briefest moment before registering who was walking towards her. Waverly half expected her to scream in terror. She would have, seeing the cold determination on Supergirl’s face. Instead, her face warped into a wicked grin which gave way to more laughter.

                “Super Rookie! Back for another ass kicking?”

                “I’m taking you to Arkham, Livewire. You can choose if you’re going to be conscious or not when you get there,” Supergirl cracked her knuckles before adding “though if we’re being honest, I’m leaning more towards not.”

                If Waverly Earp learned one thing that night it was: Kick ass first, quip later. Or maybe during, she wasn’t a boody sourpuss like Wynonna, after all. Supergirl was the nail in the coffin on that lesson. As she hurled her threats at Livewire, Waverly noticed the blue metahuman charging up electricity in her hand. Before anyone could make a move, she launched a batarang towards Livewire. The projectile was easily dodged, but at least had stopped the attack. Livewire looked past Supergirl in search of the source of the weapon. As Waverly stepped forward to take a place besides Supergirl, Livewire began to recognize the silhouette she cast.

                “You running to The Bat for help now?” She sneered at Supergirl. Redirecting her attention to Waverly she added, “You look a lot more menacing in the blurry pictures on the news.”

                “Bat _Rookie_ ,” Waverly corrected, in an attempt to show some solidarity with Supergirl from Livewire’s earlier taunt. “Which probably is going to be a whole lot more embarrassing for you.” Okay so maybe one more quip wouldn’t hurt.

                With that, Super and Bat girls sprang into action.  Supergirl veered right while Waverly went left in an attempt to flank Livewire. Livewire fired a few shots in Supergirl’s direction but missed from the sheer speed of the other woman. Instead her bolts of electricity crashed into streetlamps, causing them to burst into a shower of sparks on the street below. Waverly noticed in the corner of her eye a small portion of the electricity fired off moving away from the primary blast and into the batarang now embedded in the sidewalk. Hatching an idea, Waverly quickly drew more batarangs from her belt and began to let them fly.

                Livewire began to be more preoccupied with dodging Waverly’s batarangs than firing at Supergirl. Waverly danced around Livewire fluidly, tossing the batarangs so that they formed a perimeter around the rogue metahuman. During Waverly’s maneuvers, Livewire found her footing for just long enough to send a blast of electricity at her current nuisance. Before Waverly could register what was happening, she felt a strong grip under her arms as she was carried into the air.

                “That’s two you owe me now Batgirl,” Supergirl teased.

                “Hardly. Once again, I had it all under control.” Sure enough, only a small bit of electricity surged forward on its intended path, dissipating into the air a few feet past the perimeter, just short of where Waverly had been standing. The rest was drawn to the metal in the batarangs and into the ground. In disbelief at what happened, Livewire snarled before sending more blasts at the pair. Each one followed its predecessor, finding the ground a much more interesting target than the heroes.

                Supergirl gave a smile “Okay I’ll give you this one, but I’m still not buying earlier.” She landed them just outside the perimeter of batarangs. “So Livewire, given any thought about your travel options?” Livewire began to back away slowly, fists clenched. They were generating significantly less power than before, a fact highlighted by the panicked expression on her face.

                “What’s wrong? Forget to bring your charger?” Waverly taunted. Alright she wasn’t really going to stop quipping anytime soon.

                Livewire quickly searched around for any advantage, now doing something more akin to stumbling backwards in fear than tactically backing away. She had apparently found her opening, as before Supergirl or Waverly could make another move, she dove towards one of the previously shattered street lamps and disappeared into the crackling mess of wires.

                Supergirl’s eyes blazed red and Waverly didn’t need to be an expert on Kryptionian powers to know what came next. “Hey, easy! She’s gone now we don’t have to destroy public property any more than it already is!” She turned towards Waverly, eyes filled with anger and shame rather than the glow of heat vision.

                “We can’t just let her get away again, we have to find her!”

                “We will, just not tonight.”

                “She could be anywhere by now, let alone in a couple of hours!”

                “All the streetlamps in this district are powered by the same plant. It’s the only place she’ll be able to travel.”

                “And a great place to charge up and get the hell out of Gotham.”

                “Right, but she knows we’re looking for her. If I were her I’d be sitting tight where I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about running out of power. She’ll sit there the rest of the night waiting for us to try and get the drop on her.”

                “And when we don’t?”

                “It’ll be daylight and she doesn’t exactly blend in if you know what I mean. Gotham’s weird but we have our limits. Bad history with people looking like clowns. If she walks out of that building in broad daylight looking like she does, people are going to get spooked. Then what’s to stop Superman from paying Gotham City a visit? Or the real Bat from making a rare daytime appearance?”

                “Okay, but then night rolls around and she makes a break for it. How are we supposed to track her then? Or she sticks around the plant and she’s got the home field advantage over us. Then what?”

                Waverly thought for a moment, not having a definitive answer herself. She let out a sigh. “You said so yourself, I got us this far. I’ll figure something out, but you gotta trust me. Meet me on top that building across the street first thing tomorrow night.”

                Supergirl was silent for a moment, staring down the busted streetlamp as if she could will Livewire to come back to them. Her shoulders sank. “Okay.”

                Waverly reached out to put a hand on Supergirl’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We’re gonna get her Supes. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry 'bout the wait. December and January are big months at work and I started my last semester of college. Also this Chapter ended up being longer than I had initially intended. But here you have it! Waverly gets her superhero name from her inability to talk to pretty girls and everyone only sort of learns a lesson about the dangers of coming up with one-liners during a fight. 
> 
> Hoping to stick to a once a month/once every two months update schedule but we shall see! 
> 
> Also for those of you who recognize where I pulled my Batgirl and Supergirl first meeting inspiration from, don't hold your breath waiting for the *other* rogues that show up in this particular plot line. They're coming for sure, but I have bigger plans for them than this.


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